Representation matters
The Tippie College of Business is committed to providing you with the resources, mentorship, and connections you need to thrive on campus and beyond.
The Black in Business program hosts events for all students to thrive and grow professionally. Programs are coordinated by Undergraduate Program Office (UPO) staff and student-workers who are committed to growing representative spaces within the Tippie College of Business and University of Iowa. We work to provide programming by advocating for representation inside and outside of the classroom.
Programming is free and open to all students at Iowa because all fields of study can tie back to business and the Black in Business Series strives to represent multiple industries including business, engineering, entrepreneurship, the arts, media, journalism, sports, education, non-profit and more! If you’re interested in understanding business from the perspective of Black professionals, discovering your inner entrepreneur, and being empowered to succeed as a business-minded student, then don’t miss our next event.
Ignite your interests at our annual Networking Dinner
This RSVP-only signature event serves as a platform for students and industry professionals from multiple fields to come together and share stories of how to find success and navigate careers and life.
Students will connect with industry professionals career fields they are pursuing and gain valuable insights into carving out paths for themselves. The Networking Dinner was created to focus on the cultivation of our next leaders, supporting their growth, igniting their passions, and connecting them to successful professionals.
Join us to:
- See representation and network with Black professionals across industries.
- Discover mentorship from business leaders in their fields that interest.
- Explore potential career/internship opportunities.
Attendees get a chance to look their best and enjoy a fun/professional networking event with appetizers, mocktails, a FREE professionally catered meal while seated who share similar interests, and hear from motivational keynote speakers. Previous speakers include the Co-Founder of Humanize My Hoodie, the President of Wieden + Kennedy Portland, and On-Air Personality of National Football League (NFL) Network. And past industry professionals have included:
- Duane Wilson -- Executive Director at Junior Achievement of Northern California
- Mary Meyers – Writer/Speaker at Bold Mary
- Hannah Hendricks – Investment Banking Associate at Goldman Sachs
- Meganne Robinson -- Consulting Manager at Deloitte
- Ahmed Ismail -- Software Engineer at Capital One
- Kimmi Chexnayder -- On-Air Host & Personality at the National Football League (NFL)
- Rita Guzmán -- Enrollment Advisor at All Campus (Tippie Young Alumni Board member)
- Stephen Belyn -- Managing Director at FTI Consulting
- Myran Brewer -- Founder at C.O.P.E. Apparel LLC (and Treasury and Payment Solutions Analyst at BMO Financial Group)
- Raina Harmon -- CEO and Owner at Unified Ballers, LLC (and Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at University of Iowa)
- And many more...
We hope to see you at our next Networking Dinner. For more information and to inquire about how to RSVP, please email Tevin Robbins at tevin-robbins@uiowa.edu.
What does being Black in Business mean to you?
Meet Sire Abram
“I would say true passion. Being Black in business comes with a lot of adversity and you have to truly be passionate about it to succeed.”
Meet Kethia Mulongo
“Seeing the difference in the room, the lack of black people in the business world. Where I don't see a lot of people who look like me, who don't have the same identity. Opening a room or creating a positive thing where you see a lot of black people in the business world. I could use that as an opportunity to create a business for me and for people like me.”
Meet Morgan Conrad
“I’d say creative. You gotta be able to maneuver your way through things. And sometimes that, that means you have to do unorthodox things to get you to where your goals and objectives are. I've been blessed for that to be an opportunity and it's opened a lot of doors for me to pave my way to my goals.”
Meet Noella Kabula
“I consider being black in business a journey. Where it has its ups and downs because it can be challenging and difficult to fit in as a minority. At the same time that challenge is necessary because it allows me to step out of my comfort zone and succeed.”
Join the Black in Business network
Our LinkedIn network is the place to stay connected for the latest information and dialogue for the Black community around issues of higher education, business, and entrepreneurship.
Learn from Black professionals, discover your inner entrepreneur, and be empowered. You don't have to be a business major to join, as we encourage you to see that anything you do in your profession can be seen as a business.
Support our mission
Black in Business programming is delivered at no cost to our student participants and relies on the support of generous donors who wish to support the future of Black business students. Make a gift to Black in Business via the Tippie Undergraduate Program Fund. Your donation will be used for the intended purpose.
Contact us
Tevin Robbins
Associate Director, Tippie Student Engagement & Leadership Development
tevin-robbins@uiowa.edu
319-335-1037